


melt like this

by howshouldibegin



Series: big teeth small kiss [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 03:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11073582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howshouldibegin/pseuds/howshouldibegin
Summary: Shiro hung back at the edges of the city square with Ulaz.  Ulaz had been welcomed as an ally of Voltron, but many Olkari were still wary of a Galra in their midst.  No one said anything outright, or treated him with any hint of hostility, but interactions were a little stilted with Ulaz present.





	melt like this

**Author's Note:**

> Fills the Sunlight slot of Uliro Week 2017
> 
> All titles for this series come from [btsk by MS MR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx7afw6CmYc)

Olkarion was a restful place for a supply run. Since overthrowing the Galra and Ryner deposing Lubos, their city had shifted to intermingle with the forest. It was a very peace-inducing environment now, everyone smiling and tending to gardens or happily embracing their allies and comparing technologies. 

Pidge was already ensconced in a cluster of Olkari, tech-talk flying fast and thick, and the occasional flower-tool being tossed from one person to another. Hunk was nearby with another group, ones that had been captured by the Galra and more used to pure technology than the plant-hybrids their brethren brought with them. Lance perused through market stalls, and he and Coran excitedly compared their finds. Keith and Allura were also in the market, happily haggling over supplies to restock the castle with, Keith ensuring that the food was something other than goo. No one was in their paladin armour, and the lions were tucked away safely in the castle. 

Shiro hung back at the edges of the city square with Ulaz. Ulaz had been welcomed as an ally of Voltron, but many Olkari were still wary of a Galra in their midst. No one said anything outright, or treated him with any hint of hostility, but interactions were a little stilted with Ulaz present.

“I understand their hesitation,” Ulaz told Shiro, tugging the blanket wrapped around his shoulders a little higher. 

Since coming out of the healing pod, he was always a bit chilled, especially on the castle. Shiro kept their room fairly warm, but the rest of the castle was spacious and hard to heat properly. Coran had been a little stumped at that, as Ulaz should be mostly healed by now after so long in the healing pod, but Ulaz assured him that it was likely a result of his use of the damaged stasis chamber on his ship. It's intended use was to put the user in a suspended animation long enough to reach an allied base; Ulaz had programmed coordinated for the Blade of Marmora's headquarters, but his ship had been so damaged in the explosion that it wouldn't have made it anyway, even if the stasis chamber had been operating at full efficiency. 

So Ulaz could mostly be found in their room, the only place in the castle that was comfortably warm for him, or curled up in the lounge room, a blanket wrapped around himself. 

When Allura had mentioned the need for a supply run to Olkarion, every had jumped at the chance to get off the ship for a time. No missions, no danger, no enemies. Even Ulaz had sat up a little straighter when she put forward a chance to stretch their legs on an actual planet. 

“Still,” Shiro said, “you weren't one of their oppressors.”

“No, but I am still a Galra. Not many know of the Blade of Marmora and its resistance of Zarkon's empire, and so to many of the Olkari, I am just one more Galra, with whom they have had no peaceful encounters with. It will take time, for which I am willing to wait.”

Shiro studied Ulaz, who was watching the others in the market, occasionally tilting his good ear in a different direction to better hear various conversations that floated on the bustling air. Ulaz was, after many days in a healing pod, and a week now out of one, fully healed but for the lingering chill in his bones. He had adapted fairly quickly to only having one eye, and losing most of his hearing in his left ear. He was still able to thoroughly trounce any of the paladins in a one-on-one sparring match. He lost none of the cat-like grace he possessed; even more cat-like were the rare times his depth perception failed him and he acted as if he had meant to bump a shoulder into a doorframe. His hair was still a fluffy lilac and white striped mess, in a perpetual state of bedhead thanks to cowlicks that even Galra were susceptible to, which amused Shiro to no end. 

But the near constant tugging of his blanket around his shoulders was making Shiro a little concerned. Olkarion was a warmer planet than most, a little closer to their sun than Earth was, but the city was full of tall trees and taller buildings, so the sunlight had little chance to reach them at the edges of the square. 

“Come on, let's go find a quieter place,” Shiro suggested, thinking of the wide open field that the castle had landed in. It had been plenty sunny when they had landed earlier that morning, and should still be so.

“You don't wish to see the market?” Ulaz asked, gamely trailing after Shiro as he headed back toward the castle.

Shiro waved an absent hand. “Seen it, not my thing. I'd rather find a quiet patch of sun to relax in. Did you want to check out anything there?”

Ulaz caught one of Shiro's hands in his own. “No, I have everything I need.”

Shiro smiled, squeezing Ulaz's fingers gently in agreement as they emerged from the shadows into bright, warm sunlight. Ahead of them rested the Castle of Lions, behind them their friends and allies, they were safe and together. That was all that mattered.

He pointed with his free hand to a grassy knoll, completely free of anything that would shade them from the sun. Ulaz smiled his agreement, and they made their way up the small incline. If anyone came looking for them, they'd be easy to spot. Shiro made to sit on the grass, but Ulaz pulled off his blanket to spread it on the ground.

“You're okay without it?” Shiro asked.

“I'm fine,” Ulaz scolded mildly and Shiro suppressed a smile; he had been mother-henning Ulaz a bit lately. “Sit with me.”

Shiro sat on the blanket, cross-legged and leaned back on his hands, turning his face up to the sky as Ulaz folded himself gracefully down next to Shiro. He reached out, running clawed fingers through Shiro's hair, and Shiro leaned into the caress.

“You're losing the last of your youngling hair,” Ulaz noted. “But for the forelock, there are very few strands of white in your hair.”

Shiro blinked at Ulaz for a moment, seeing him study Shiro's hair in the sunlight, then smiled in understanding. “Human hair is the opposite of Galra. I guess you never saw me without the white bangs?” Ulaz shook his head. “All my hair was black when I was born. It was still all black when I was first captured. Trauma and scarring caused this,” he tugged his bangs, “to go white. But normally we go white as we get older. If I'm anything like the rest of my family, I'll be in my eighties before it's all white. Um, eight decafeebs? I think that's the right term.”

Ulaz hummed. “Humans are a resilient and fascinating species. To think your young start out so dark. It's beautiful.” Shiro's face took on a faint pink tone across his cheeks, which Ulaz studied with as much fascination as he had the white in Shiro's hair. 

“I like your hair, too. It's not a colour that occurs naturally in humans.” Ulaz ran a hand self-consciously through his hair, and Shiro was struck by the realization that Ulaz would be uncomfortable with his hair being so long. It was still shorter than most of the paladins' hair, but Shiro knew what it was like to have a usually short hairstyle too grown out for comfort; he had traded certain items and privileges for the use of a razor while in the Arena to keep his hair from growing out too long. “Do you want some help cutting it? I have a razor back at the castle.”

“Later,” Ulaz said, but Shiro could read the relief in the line of his shoulders when Shiro offered his help. “Let us just enjoy the moment right now. It is warm and quiet here, and I may rest a while.”

Shiro patted his thigh, and Ulaz obligingly lay down, resting his head on Shiro's leg, his body spread loosely across the blanket to enjoy maximum sunlight. Shiro couldn't resist running his fingers through Ulaz's hair, like Ulaz had with his hair earlier, admiring the white and lavender strands glinting in the sun, scratching his fingers gently along the crest that ran along the top of Ulaz's skull. Ulaz rumbled out a sigh, and slowly relaxed completely against Shiro. 

They were making progress, after they had talked when Ulaz first emerged from the healing pod. Ulaz was still a bit wary about entering a romantic relationship; they had sexual chemistry, no doubt, and had given Keith plenty to complain about noise disturbances in the past week. But Shiro and Ulaz had talked most of that first day, about what they would like to happen in their relationship, how to progress, set a few boundaries. Shiro was definitely falling in love, had been since that first oxytocin rush, but this was above and beyond sex-driven affections now. And Ulaz was getting to know Shiro. And vice-versa, of course. But Ulaz explained to Shiro that in the past, he had only been in one romantic relationship, and that was after many years of knowing his partner before love came to grow. Shiro was a little upset, to think that it might be years before Ulaz would return his affections, but Ulaz also went on to say that what he did feel about Shiro already felt as if they would go to romantic feelings sooner rather than later. 

So, Shiro was patient. He was good at being patient, especially for things worth waiting for. He didn't tell Ulaz that he loved him, for it made the Galra tense up and shy away from Shiro for a while. He didn't go out of his way to make obviously romantic gestures, from a human or a Galra perspective, and that had been a fun conversation: no food sharing, no touching ears, no grooming each other without asking first, no gifts. Just spending time in each other's company, sharing stories from their childhoods and their cultures, learning each other as individuals before learning if they could be a pairing. 

Physical affection was fine, though, aside from ears. Something about them said romance to Ulaz, and he even avoided touching Shiro's ears. Which, Shiro was a little sad to learn they were off limits, because Ulaz's ears fascinated him. Perhaps it was a sensitivity issue, and only spouses or similar were allowed to be near such a vulnerable area. 

Kissing was still on the table, at least, which Shiro was thankful for. Making out was honestly one of his favourite things to do with his partners, and they had lost countless hours kissing in every place the urge struck them on the castle. Everyone had caught them making out at least once in the past week, Allura more often than the rest, but Shiro suspected Ulaz was doing that one on purpose. To annoy Allura, or taunt her, he didn't know, and frankly didn't really care. Mostly she was civil to Ulaz, and her reactions to stumbling across them kissing in a random hallway said more 'annoyed to find anyone making out and wasting time' than it did of any true hatred of Ulaz. Whatever, Shiro was just happy to get kisses. 

Thinking about kissing made him want to wake Ulaz up, so they could enjoy some sunshiney warm kisses, but he knew how much Ulaz needed the rest and the warmth, so he restrained himself heroically, and only dropped a single fond kiss on Ulaz's left eyebrow. Ulaz stirred briefly, but settled again easily, with Shiro's hand smoothing his hair, and a faint smile on his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Shhh, I run into doorframes often enough that it barely phases me anymore. My depth perception is shit even with two eyes. Let me have the image of Ulaz doing the same and acting like he meant to do it.
> 
> This was mostly self-indulgent fluff. Jammed in some demirom!Ulaz bits, as aligns with my own experience of demiromanticism. YMMV, of course, as I would have no idea how demiromanticism interacts with an already sexually active couple. Their relationship is further complicated by wartime stresses and PTSD, but Ulaz pulling on the brakes on the romantic part is probably healthier than the way they started, tbh. Honestly, they're pretty much an established couple already, and by the time Ulaz announces that he and Shiro are in a romantic relationship, everyone just goes '????we know????', except Lance, he genuinely is newly delighted for the both of them that they finally took that step together. 
> 
> This is the last of the connected one-shots. I may play around more in this universe some day, but for now, it's done. (I have Lance headcanons. And really should involve other perspectives than just Shiro's. Oops btsk ended up pretty Shiro-centric...)
> 
> AU Day tomorrow! I am excited. :D


End file.
